Department for Transport

Freight

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 12 October (HL2828), how much of the £20 millionallocated to themode shift freight grant schemes has been (1) allocated, and (2) allocated and spent; how many grant applications have been turned down; and what plans they have, if any, to increase the grant allocation in future.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) budget for 2021/22 is £20m. The budget has been allocated. By September 2021 the Department accepted 56 grant applications for funding. Four grant applications were rejected as they did not meet the minimum criteria in relation to securing value for money. The Government continues to be strongly supportive of the MSRS grant to encourage modal shift from road to rail. There are no specific, current plans to increase the levels of the MSRS grant, however the Government keeps this under review.

Freight Facilities Grant

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to re-instate the Freight Facilities Grant in England to help reduce heavy goods road traffic.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department for Transport currently has no plans to re-instate the Freight Facilities Grant in England. However, Government remains strongly committed to modal shift and continues to operate two freight revenue grant schemes (£20m allocated in 2021/22). This supports the Mode Shift Revenue Support scheme for modal shift to rail and inland waterways; and Waterborne Freight Grants for coastal and short sea shipping. Government has also announced in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan and Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail its intention to set a rail freight growth target and will continue to consider further incentives – working closely with the rail freight industry - to encourage modal shift from road to rail.

Electric Scooters: Hire Services

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government why people hiring an e-scooter are required to have a valid driving licence for a motor vehicle.

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government why people hiring an e-scooter are required to show (1) a passport, or (2) other approved identity, when this is not a requirement for those hiring electric cycles.

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the difference between (1) the locations where e-scooters are permitted to be ridden, and (2) locations where electric or non-electric cycles are allowed to be ridden.

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cyclists who do not have a vehicle driving licence participate in e-scooter trials.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: In the UK, e-scooters are classed in law as a type of motor vehicle, therefore, all users of e-scooters in approved rental trial areas are required to hold a driving licence (a provisional as a minimum).When hiring an e-scooter, the user is required to demonstrate that they are eligible to ride and do so by showing relevant identification.E-scooters in approved rental trial areas are permitted in geographical areas agreed between the local authority, operator and the Department. They are permitted on roads and in cycle lanes within that area but not on the pavement. Local authorities and operators are able to add additional local controls, using geofencing technology, to exclude e-scooters from places considered inappropriate for their use, such as pedestrianised areas. Shared bike and electric bike schemes in England are largely unregulated and are able to operate across a larger geographical area.

A303: Stonehenge

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 12 October (HL2847), what area of inalienable land vested in the National Trust following a national appeal for public subscriptions in 1927 would need to be acquired for constructing and operating the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down dual carriageway and tunnel across the Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites UNESCO World Heritage Site; and what would be (1) the terms, and (2) the costs of such acquisition.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Within the World Heritage Site, there is 41.62 hectares of inalienable land owned by the National Trust that is being acquired; 1.75 hectares subject to outright acquisition and 39.87 hectares subject to subsoil rights acquisition for the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down scheme. The terms of the acquisition of inalienable National Trust land are the same as for all land interests and rights that are subject to Compulsory Acquisition. If granted, the Development Consent Order (DCO) gives National Highways Compulsory Acquisition powers to purchase land that is required to build and maintain the scheme, which includes National Trust land declared as inalienable. The National Trust land will be acquired through the General Vesting Declaration (GVD) process, which would vest the required land or rights to National Highways, including subsoil rights to construct and maintain the Tunnel. Where National Highways are taking subsoil rights only, the amenity of the surface land above will remain, including the surface lands inalienability. This applies to 39.87 hectares. Those rights and interests in land that are extinguished or changed through the above process, such as those belonging to The National Trust, would enable a right to compensation. This compensation would be negotiated and paid following the making of the GVD. A key principle of compensation is that of “equivalence”, meaning that a claimant should be placed in no better or worse position, financially, after the acquisition than they were before the acquisition. Therefore, until a time in which the land has vested through the GVD process and a claim received, it would be inappropriate to prejudice a live negotiation through speculating on potential costs.

Shipping: Carbon Emissions

Lord Mountevans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing todecarbonise the UK’s maritime sector.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: To date the Department for Transport has funded a £1.5 million competition for innovation in clean maritime and provided £93,897 in grant support through the 2019 Department’s Transport Technology Research Innovation Grant (TRIG) Programme, to early stage research projects related to clean maritime. In 2020 the TRIG programme provided almost £90,000 to clean maritime projects. Under this programme the Department allocated £400,000 this year to 13 projects in zero emission shipping.In March this year Government launched a Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) to decarbonise the maritime sector. The CMDC will allocate up to £23 million in R&D funding to 55 projects comprising of feasibility studies and trials in zero emission shipping technologies, accelerating the development of zero emission technology and infrastructure in the UK.

Shipping: Carbon Emissions

Lord Mountevans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Maritime UK’s proposal for investment in maritime decarbonisation as part of the upcoming Spending Review.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government has carefully considered all industry submissions, including the proposals published by Maritime UK. The Spending review launched on 7 September by the Chancellor of the Exchequer will conclude alongside an Autumn Budget on 27 October. It would be premature for me to comment on any plans for further investment in maritime decarbonisation before a settlement has been agreed.

Railways: Freight

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Rail Freight Group and other freight operators who have stopped using electric trains and have returned to using diesel trains because of the rising price of energy.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government fully recognises business concerns around increasing energy prices and we are regularly engaging with the rail freight industry on this issue. The commercial decision to use electric or diesel traction for freight haulage is a matter for individual private sector freight operators. We continue to support the rail freight sector strongly and recognise that rail freight remains one of the most carbon efficient ways of moving goods over long distances as on average, rail freight trains currently emit around a quarter of the CO2e emissions of HGVs per tonne km travelled.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Heating: Hydrogen

Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government which villages they have identified as suitable for whole village trials of hydrogen heating; and when they will announce which villages will be taking part in the trials.

Lord Callanan: As set out in my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, the Government is supporting industry to deliver community trials of 100% hydrogen heating. The first trial will be a neighbourhood trial in Levenmouth, Fife, which is due to start in 2023. BEIS and Ofgem have also invited Gas Network Operators to submit outline proposals for a larger village trial by December 2021. The Government is expecting that one or more of these proposals will require detailed planning during 2022, before location selection in 2023. Government’s intention is that the village trial will begin by 2025.

Manufacturing Industries: Energy Supply

Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the increase in energy prices on the UK's manufacturing base; and what plans they have, if any, to assist industries to meet these additional costs.

Lord Callanan: The Government is determined to secure a competitive future for our energy intensive industries and in recent years have provided them with extensive support, including more than £2bn to help with the costs of electricity and to protect jobs. This includes electricity price relief schemes for eligible energy intensive industries in sectors such as steel, chemicals, cement, ceramics, paper and glass. Various funds are in place to support businesses with high energy use to cut their bills and reduce their carbon emissions, including the £315m Industrial Energy Transformation Fund.

Oil: Exploration

Baroness Grender: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many new oil drilling extraction sites have been approved in England in the last two years; and where any such sites (1) are, or (2) are proposed to be, located.

Lord Callanan: One new oil field has been granted production consent in the last two years – Horse Hill (in Surrey).

Oil: Exploration

Baroness Grender: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many oil drilling extraction sites there are in England.

Lord Callanan: There are currently 47 oil and gas extraction sites in England.

Department of Health and Social Care

Home Care Services

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the proposed reforms to adult social care announced in September, what steps they are taking to ensure that as many people as possible can remain in their own homes for as long as reasonably possible.

Lord Kamall: We recognise the important role of housing in providing care and support to people in the community. There is clear evidence that the right housing arrangements can deliver improved outcomes and meet people’s preferences to remain in their own home. The Government will invest in the Disabled Facilities Grant and supported housing, as well as exploring other innovative housing solutions to allow more people to live independently at home for longer with personalised care and support. We will continue to work closely with the sector, including as part of the white paper on adult social care which will be published later this year.

Social Services: Older People

Lord Lipsey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of care recipients aged 65 or over are funded (1) wholly, or (2) partly, by local authorities.

Lord Kamall: This information is not collected in the format requested. NHS Digital collects data on recipients of long-term care aged 65 years old and over who are supported by local authorities. However, its data collection does not differentiate between those who are funded in whole and those who are funded in part by their local authority.

Undocumented Migrants: Suicide

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the letter dated 16 July from46 charities concerned about the incidence of suicides among young asylum seekers, (1) what assessment they have made of such suicides,and (2) what steps they will taketo address their underlying causes.

Lord Kamall: Each and every suicide is a tragedy, with a devastating impact on families and communities. The Department for Health and Social Care, the Home Office, the Department for Education and Office for Health Improvement and Disparities are working with the Da’Aro Youth Project to better understand and address the concerns raised in the letter dated 16 July.The National Suicide Prevention Strategy Preventing suicide in England: A cross-government outcomes strategy to save lives, highlights groups which require tailored approaches to address their mental health needs, including asylum seekers. Every local authority has a multi-agency suicide prevention plan in place, tailored to the needs of local communities and work with local partners to implement these plans based on the National Strategy and local data. A copy of the Strategy is attached.The Government will also continue to use our safeguarding networks to identify the most vulnerable users of the asylum system and engage with the appropriate statutory agencies to provide the support they need.Preventing Suicide (pdf, 973.3KB)

National Insurance: Social Services

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether those with an incomplete record of National Insurance contributions will in future have full access to social support and care.

Lord Kamall: Local authorities are responsible for assessing an individual’s eligibility for care and support as set out in the Care Act 2014 and for meeting their eligible needs. A person’s National Insurance Contributions does not impact upon this.

Anaesthetics: Training

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to fund additional higher anaesthetic training places as part of this year’s Spending Review.

Lord Kamall: The forthcoming Spending Review will set out our plans for future investment in the National Health Service workforce.The number of anaesthetists has increased by over 26% since 2010. In 2020 Health Education England recruited 410 anaesthetic trainees across England with a 100% fill rate nationally. We continue to monitor the effectiveness of the current arrangements and consider the further expansion of specialty training places, including anaesthesia.

Hernias: Surgery

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government what the average waiting time is for a hernia operation on the NHS.

Lord Kamall: The average waiting time for a hernia operation in England is 191 days.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government which data sets were used to compile the lists of those eligible for COVID-19 booster vaccines in England; and who is responsible for (1) managing, and (2) updating, the lists of those who are vulnerable.

Lord Kamall: The Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisation has advised that boosters are offered to individuals who received vaccination in phase one of the COVID-19 vaccination programme and the Government has accepted this advice. This includes those aged 50 years old and over and those aged 16 to 49 years old with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe COVID-19,For age-based cohorts, NHS Digital holds demographic information regarding English citizens and their dates of birth. NHS Digital identify those who fall into an age-based booster cohort. NHS Digital manage and update this information. Where a person is included due to a clinical condition, general practitioners (GPs) are ultimately responsible for diagnosing people that have those conditions. NHS Digital receive notifications from GP systems to include patients in the ‘at risk’ cohort and are then responsible for managing and updating this information as it is received.

Vaccination: Publicity

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding they are providing to promote vaccinations across England against diseases in the current financial year; and how muchthey plan to spend on promoting vaccinations in the next three financial years.

Lord Kamall: In 2021/22 the Department forecasts it will spend approximately £6 million on the promotion of vaccinations. The forthcoming Spending Review will set out the Government’s spending plans for future years.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Church Services

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that all HM Prisons provide a weekly chapel service.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: Prison Service Instruction 05/2016, Faith and Pastoral Care for Prisoners, states that all prisoners may participate in the main religious observance of the week for the faith in which they are registered should they wish to - safety, security and other concerns permitting. This requirement was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic because of infection prevention and control measures. Alternative arrangements were put in place, including making available in-cell faith resources and the use of technology. Chaplains continued to make themselves available to prisoners on a daily basis and chapels have remained open for individual worship and pastoral care throughout the pandemic. Establishments are reintroducing weekly collective worship or meditation taking into account Covid safety measures and security considerations, as well as other factors, such as available staffing in multi-faith chaplaincy teams and the physical space available.

Interpreters: Courts and 
Tribunals

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government how often each year between 2017 and 2020 interpreters wereused in courts or tribunals in each of the following case categories, as specified bythe Ministry of Justice's language services contract: (1) complex written, (2) complex, and (3) standard.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: A table with the answer to the question is below: HMCTS - Volume By Complexity & Calendar YearYearComplexityVolume2017Standard25,8992017Complex104,3822017Complex Written3,7662018Standard26,2302018Complex101,5392018Complex Written4,1252019Standard27,5202019Complex100,7202019Complex Written5,6872020Standard27,1132020Complex69,0582020Complex Written4,046 Please note this data includes fulfilled Face to Face bookings only due to the enquiry referring to instances where HMCTS has ‘engaged individuals’

Juries: Exemptions

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether teachers and school staff may be exempted from jury service because of pressures on schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government has not expected key workers, including those working in education, to serve on a jury. Anyone who is summoned for jury service and who cannot serve should contact the Jury Central Summoning Bureau (JCSB). While by law we cannot automatically defer jurors, during the pandemic HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) issued guidance to help staff deal sympathetically with all requests from the public who wish to be released or deferred from jury service as a result of COVID-19. Each application for deferral/excusal is considered on its own merit, in a way that is both fair to the individual and consistent with the needs of the court in providing a representative jury.

Judiciary: Hong Kong

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to institute a further review into the independence of the Hong Kong judiciary, and (2) to assess the viability of UK judges continuing to serve on the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The National Security Law poses real questions for the rule of law in Hong Kong and the protection of rights and freedoms promised by China in the Joint Declaration. The UK Government remains committed to supporting the principles of the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law in Hong Kong. That is why the government and the serving UK judges who sit on the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal continue to assess the situation closely.In line with our most recent assessment, the agreement under which the UK judges have served in Hong Kong since 1997 continues to have our full support.

Prisoners: Pregnancy

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement a national policy and pathway for pregnant women in prison.

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of grade 3 prison officers being put in charge of pregnant women's healthcare.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: Pregnant women in prison are entitled to the same quality and range of healthcare services as they have access to in the community. Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) published a new policy on pregnancy, Mother and Baby Units and maternal separation from Children up to the Age of Two in Women’s Prisons on 20 September. This delivers a range of improvements to the care of pregnant women in prison. Prisons are in the process of implementing new requirements and are expected to have this in place by 20 March 2022.Healthcare in women’s prisons, including perinatal services, are commissioned by NHS England & Improvement. The role of HMPPS is to work in partnership with local healthcare providers to secure access to these services. The new policy introduces enhanced Band 3 Pregnancy and Mother and Baby Liaison Officers across the women’s estate. This is an operational prison role designed to enable early identification, contact and signposting to support services, including perinatal healthcare services. It is not a clinical role – provision of clinical services is the responsibility of NHS England and NHS Improvement.

Treasury

UK Infrastructure Bank

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what loans they have made available to (1) local authorities, and (2) mayoral authorities, through the UK Infrastructure Bank.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) is open in interim form and can support lending of £4 billion in total to local authorities. The UKIB is in discussion with several local authorities about potential opportunities and is open to further proposals. The UKIB is operationally independent and assesses deals in line with its investment principles.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Philippines: Drugs

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what steps they have taken to urge President Roderigo Duterte to cooperate with the ICC’s investigation into crimes allegedly committed in the Philippines’ ‘war on drugs’ between 2011 and 2019, and (2) what steps they have taken to urge President Duterte to allow ICC investigators into the country.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK remains concerned about reports of human rights abuses in the Philippines, particularly the conduct of the "war on drugs" campaign and the treatment of some human and land rights defenders and journalists. We are aware of the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation and urge the Philippines to cooperate. My Right Honourable Friend, the Minister for Asia, visited the Philippines on 7 to 10 October, where she raised our human rights concerns with the Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Teodoro Locsin on 9 October. The former Foreign Secretary raised human rights concerns with Secretary Locsin on 20 July.

Land Mines

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) why they have reduced funding for mine clearance and unexploded bombs, (2) by how much this funding has reduced, and (3) what assessment they have made of the impact of these funding reductions.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are prioritising our aid to be more strategic and remain a force for good across the world, and are working towards finalising funding and country allocation for GMAP3. We have welcomed feedback from our partners in the mine action sector. The UK remains committed to our international treaty obligations and our mine action work will continue to promote peace and conflict recovery while saving the lives of those most in need.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Postage Stamps

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to Resolution C15/2021 of the Universal Postal Union that stamps from the Chagos Islands must be issued by the government of Mauritius to be valid, what assessment they have made of the continued sale of British Indian Ocean Territory postage stamps.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are disappointed by the Universal Postal Union's resolution C15/2021. The UK has no doubt as to our sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. Adoption of this resolution means that the Universal Postal Union will no longer register, distribute, or forward BIOT stamps issued by the Territory. However UK stamps continue to be used for the UK military postal service, accessible to UK military and civilian contractors.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Military Bases and Sovereignty

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to hold discussions with the government of Mauritius in relation to a settlement concerning the future of the Chagos Islands which will (1) allow Chagossians to return to the islands, and (2) safeguard the future of the UK military base on Diego Garcia.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: There are no current plans for discussions with the Government of Mauritius on the future of BIOT which will allow Chagossians to return to the islands. We remain open to dialogue with Mauritius on matters of shared interest, including BIOT and its Marine Protected Area (MPA). The defence facilities on BIOT help to keep people here in the United Kingdom and around the world safe. The UK will cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer required for defence purposes.

Tigray: Crimes against Humanity

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to identify whether there is evidence of ethnic cleansing, war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide being committed in the Tigray region.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We are extremely concerned by reports of widespread human rights abuses in Ethiopia. Civilians must be protected and the violence must stop. The UK is supporting the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to ensure that their joint investigation into atrocities in Tigray, with the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, is independent, transparent and impartial and holds the parties to this conflict directly responsible for their actions. We are also examining how we can best support institutions undertaking investigations into Human Rights abuses and violations. The UK's longstanding position is that determining whether a situation amounts to genocide is an issue for competent national and international courts, not governments. The Foreign Secretary, the Minister for Africa and our Ambassador in Addis continue to raise human rights issues in their discussions with the Ethiopian Government.

Latin America: Environment Protection

Lord Mountevans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the challenges faced by environmental defenders in (1) Colombia, and (2) other Latin American countries; and what guidance is available to British companies involved in sensitive sectors, such as mining.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The British Government remain committed to delivering a broad human rights agenda across Latin America. Our programming across the region has included projects to strengthen democracy, protect civil society space by fostering freedom of expression and build capacity for local human rights defenders, which includes environmental activists.As set out in the FCDO Annual Human Rights Report, we expect British businesses to respect local and international law wherever they operate. The UK was the first country to create a National Action Plan to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. This plan sets out what is expected of the conduct of UK businesses, including compliance with relevant laws and respect for human rights; treating the risk of causing human rights abuses as a legal compliance issue; adopting appropriate due diligence policies; and consulting those who could potentially be affected.We remain concerned about the persistent level of violence and threats towards environmental defenders in Colombia and elsewhere in Latin America and we regularly raise human rights issues with the Colombian Government and in multilateral fora. Most recently, the UK's Minister for the Environment, Lord Goldsmith, visited Colombia and raised our concerns around violence and threats toward environmental defenders on 5-8 October and discussed ways in which the UK can support the Colombian Government’s efforts to tackle that violence.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, (1) to encourage countries with surplus vaccines to make these available to COVAX, and (2) to seek improved cooperation between health and finance ministers in other countries in relation to (a) the COVID-19 pandemic, and (b) future pandemics.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Our G7 Presidency has championed equitable access to vaccines, treatments and tests, and the importance of future funding for COVAX. We secured commitments to share or finance up to 1 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines by mid-2022. The Prime Minister has committed the UK to donating 100 million doses by June 2022. To date, we have donated 10.5 million doses and we are on track to meet our target of 30 million doses by the end of 2021. Ministers and officials continue to encourage other countries, including in G7 and G20 forums, to donate.The government is committed to continuing to improve global health and finance coordination to prepare for and respond to future pandemics. We are supporting G20 proposals to improve international governance and coordination between global health and finance policy makers.

Kosovo: Serbia

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have held bilateral discussions with the governments of Kosovo and Serbia to help de-escalate tensions between the two countries.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK supports the EU-facilitated Dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo, with the aim of a comprehensive and sustainable normalisation agreement to the benefit of both countries' people. During the recent period of heightened tension, the UK, alongside international partners, held bilateral discussions with the Governments of Kosovo and Serbia to help de-escalate tensions and encourage the resolution of issues through the EU-facilitated process. We welcome the news of an interim agreement on the licence plate issue and encourage both sides to find a permanent solution that ensures freedom of movement.

Iran: Uranium

Baroness Altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Institute for Science and International Security Analysis of IAEA Iran Verification and Monitoring Report, published on 13 September, and in particular the finding that Iran is only one month away from producingweapons-grade uranium for an atomic bomb.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The information in the International Atomic Energy Authority's report of 13 September shows that Iran's nuclear programme has never been more advanced or more worrying than it is today. This includes Iran's continued efforts to increase its stockpile of enriched uranium, including at 60% and 20%; and developing and operating powerful advanced centrifuges, permanently improving its enrichment capabilities. Our priority continues to be to find a diplomatic solution to bring Iran back into compliance with its Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) commitments. Iran urgently needs to return to talks in Vienna and to conclude the deal on the table.

Department for Work and Pensions

Housing Benefit

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average level of housing benefit paid to people renting (1) one bedroom, (2) two bedroom, (3) three bedroom, and (4) four bedroom, accommodation in the (a) private, (b) housing association, and (c) council, sector.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: For the information requested on the average level of Housing Benefit in Great Britain paid by bedroom number and tenure, the following averages have been produced using departmental administrative data, the latest of which is from May 2021. SectorNumber of Bedrooms1234Private Rented£526£549£606£788Social Rented Sector Housing Association£552£407£414£500Local Authority£372£353£367£419 Notes:1) Does not include those in Private Rented Shared Accommodation.2) Does not include those on housing element of Universal Credit.3) Figures for 2+ bedrooms allow for Reduction in Spare Room Subsidy where appropriate.

Housing Benefit

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was paid in housing benefit to (1) tenants of private landlords, (2) tenants of housing associations, (3) councils, in each of the last three financial years.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: For the information requested on Housing Benefit expenditure this is available in the benefit expenditure and caseload tables produced by the department, the latest of which was published on gov.uk in March 2021. For the tenure types requested, we advise that Local Authority Tenants (Rent Rebate) figures are suitable for (3) councils, Registered Social Landlord Tenants are suitable for (2) housing associations, and Private Rented Sector tenants are suitable for (1) private landlords. Housing benefits expenditure £ million, nominal terms By Tenure2017/182018/192019/20of which Local Authority Tenants (Rent Rebate)5,4855,1784,788of which Registered Social Landlord Tenants9,1078,6817,967of which Private Rented Sector tenants7,7096,8715,609 Notes:(1) Does not include expenditure on the housing element of Universal Credit.

Home Office

Police: Misconduct

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to investigatethe issue of transparency in police misconduct hearings during the public inquiry into issues raised by the murder of Sarah Everard.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Since 2016, misconduct hearings have been chaired independently of forces by Legally Qualified Chairs.The Police (Conduct) Regulations set out that the presumption is for misconduct hearings to be heard in public. There are however a number of legitimate reasons why Legally Qualified Chairs may decide to hold a hearing in private. These decisions are taken independently and following consideration of representations by all interested parties, including the force, the officer, witnesses and the media.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Homelessness: Government Assistance

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support people at risk of homelessness.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government is committed to ending rough sleeping and preventing homelessness.  The Homelessness Reduction Act, the most ambitious reform to homelessness legislation in decades, came into force in April 2018. It places duties on local housing authorities to take reasonable steps to try to prevent and relieve a person's homelessness. For the first time, local authorities and other public bodies must work together to prevent homelessness for people at risk.Acting earlier and for a broader range of people means more people will get the help they need before they face a homelessness crisis. Since the Act came into force, over 375,000 households have had their homelessness successfully prevented or relieved through securing accommodation for more than 6 months.We have provided local authorities with £375 million this year through the Homelessness Prevention Grant (HPG), which represents a £112 million increase on the previous year's funding, to give them the funding they need to prevent homelessness and help more people sooner. This includes an exceptional top up to the HPG for this financial year with an additional £65 million for local authorities to help vulnerable households with rent arrears to reduce the risk of them being evicted and becoming homeless. This is part of more than £750 million being spent on tackling homelessness and rough sleeping in 2021/22.

Cabinet Office

Urban Areas: Royal Charters

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the criteria for a town being considered for City status.

Lord True: City status is a rare distinction conferred by The Queen acting on the advice of Ministers. Every application for city status is judged on its merits. Guidance for local authorities on the Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours Competition, which closes on 8 December, is published on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/platinum-jubilee-civic-honours-competition.On Monday 18 October, the Prime Minister announced that Southend-on-Sea would be accorded city status in honour of Sir David Amess. This was made in exceptional circumstances and outside of the ongoing competition.

Coronavirus: Death

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total number of COVID-19 deaths in England since 1 July; and how many of those deaths were people who were either (1) unvaccinated, or (2) had underlying health conditions.

Lord True: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond. Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician Lord West of SpitheadHouse of LordsLondonSW1A 0PW27 October 2021 Dear Lord West of Spithead, As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking the total number of COVID-19 deaths in England since 1 July; and how many of those deaths were people who were either (1) unvaccinated, or (2) had underlying health conditions (HL3191). The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes mortality statistics for England and Wales compiled from information supplied when deaths are certified and registered as part of civil registration. Based on the latest data in the bulletin ‘Deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, provisional: 15 October 2021’1, there were 7,673 deaths involving COVID-19 registered between 1 July 2021 and 8 October 2021 in England. Information provided at death registration can be used to identify the presence of pre-existing health conditions. The data are published quarterly in the ‘Pre-existing conditions of people who died due to COVID-19, England and Wales’ dataset2. These are currently available until the end of June 2021. In the second quarter of 2021 (April to June), 18.8% of people who died due to COVID-19 in England and Wales had no pre-existing condition. The data for the third quarter (July to September) will be published on 23 November 2021. The vaccination status of the deceased is not recorded at death registration unless the certifying doctor or coroner considered it to be relevant to the cause of death. To produce statistics on deaths by COVID-19 vaccination status the ONS has created a linked dataset which includes death registrations, vaccination data from the National Immunisation Management System (NIMS) and Test and Trace data on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results. The methods are described in ‘Deaths involving COVID-19 by vaccination status, England: deaths occurring between 2 January and 2 July 2021’3. Unfortunately, this publication only covered deaths that occurred up to 2 July 2021. However, an update of this publication, covering deaths that occurred up to 24 September 2021, will be published on 1 November. Of the 51,281 deaths involving Covid-19 that occurred between 2 January and 2 July 2021, 38,964 (76.0%) occurred in unvaccinated individuals. Please note, however, that this proportion is likely to change in the most recent period, as an increasing number of people are now vaccinated. Yours sincerely, Professor Sir Ian Diamond 1 Deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, provisional: 15 October 20212 Pre-existing conditions of people who died due to COVID-19, England and Wales3 Deaths involving COVID-19 by vaccination status, England: deaths occurring between 2 January and 2 July 2021. 13 September 2021

Ministers: Pay

Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord True on 20 October (HL3106), whetherthey will now answer the question put, namely, what criteria are used in deciding which Ministers are not in receipt of a ministerial salary.

Lord True: The recommendation of Ministerial appointments to the Sovereign is a matter for the Prime Minister, taking into account such factors as the Prime Minister sees fit. The main determinant will be whether or not there are salaries available within the limits set out in the Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements

Lord Grantchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how many continuity trade agreements have been found to contain drafting errors after ratification; (2) which of those errors involve provisions that are no longer applicable to the UK now it has left the EU; and (3) what are the titles of the agreements affected by drafting errors.

Lord Grantchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what drafting errors have been found in the continuity trade agreement with Ukraine; and what are the implications of those errors.

Lord Grantchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what countries the UK has launched new trade negotiations with after (1) problems, and (2) drafting errors, have been found in continuity trade agreements.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: HM Government has secured trade deals with 69 non-EU countries, many of which sought to replicate the effect of EU trade agreements. This meant that, when rolling over these agreements, the majority of EU texts remained unchanged and some language was retained with the understanding that it may require modifications once we had taken back control of our trade policy. When implementing agreements, it is standard practice to amend, correct or update them over time depending upon the circumstances, and this can be achieved without launching new trade negotiations. This principle applies to the agreement with Ukraine and to other trade deals.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Mobile Phones: Fees and Charges

Lord Bowness: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay on 12 October 2021 (HL2827), (1) when was the last occasion that they met with mobile network operators to discuss roaming charges, and (2) what steps, through legislation or otherwise, they are taking to prevent the reintroduction of roaming charges.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Ministers and officials have had recent discussions with senior representatives of mobile operators on a range of issues, including on the issue of mobile roaming. The last Ministerial-level meeting with mobile operators was in September 2021.During negotiations for the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU, the UK proposed the continuation of reciprocal agreements between the UK and EU to enable surcharge-free roaming. The EU did not agree. The decision on whether to impose a surcharge on consumers travelling abroad to the EU for their mobile phone usage is one for operators. We advise that consumers check with their operators before travelling.

Channel Four: Hearing Impairment

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impacts of the loss of the subtitling service on Channel 4 on those with hearing loss.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The government recognises the importance of ensuring that television content is accessible for all UK audiences. All public service broadcasters, including Channel 4, are required to ensure adequate provision of access services, including subtitling for their broadcast channels. Ofcom, as the independent regulator, is closely monitoring the situation regarding the loss of the subtitling service on Channel 4, including the actions being taken by them to restore normal service as quickly as possible and to keep viewers informed.

Music: Coronavirus

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK Music report This is Music 2021,published 19 October; and what steps they intend to take to (1) support the music industry, and (2) compensate those who were ineligible for financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: We have noted the publication of UK Music’s ‘This Is Music’ report with interest, and the Secretary of State’s contribute the foreword to it. We note the significant challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the music sector and recognise that this report proposes a possible path towards recovery. DCMS works closely with UK Music and officials regularly engage with the team there across a number of areas.Many organisations in the music industry have benefitted from the significant cross-economy and sector-specific support, the government has made available throughout this pandemic, including the generous employment schemes, grants, loans, a reduction in VAT to 5%, business rates relief, and the extension of the moratorium on commercial evictions for business tenants.The unprecedented Culture Recovery Fund, of almost £2 billion, has been the biggest arts funding package in our history. Awards have been made to over 800 music-based organisations, totalling over £200 million, including more than £21 million alone having been awarded to music festivals and £3.36 million to grassroots music venues. 52,000 full time staff and almost 100,000 freelancers were supported until the end of June 2021 as part of the second round of the Fund (as reported by applicants).The Live Events Reinsurance Scheme was also launched on 22 September, which will continue to support live events across the country - such as music festivals, conferences and business events - which are at risk of being halted or delayed due to an inability to obtain COVID-19 cancellation insurance. The scheme will support the UK’s economic recovery from COVID-19 by giving events the confidence they need to plan for the future, whilst also ensuring that we deliver value for money for taxpayers.

Internet: Privacy

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to legislate (1) to limit the social media abuse of public figures, and (2) to end online anonymity.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Everybody should be able to be safe online. Under the Online Safety Bill, which was published in draft in May 2021 for pre-legislative scrutiny, companies in scope will need to minimise and remove illegal content including criminal online abuse targeted at public figures and illegal anonymous abuse.Major platforms will also need to address legal but harmful content for adults. These companies will have to set out clearly what content is acceptable on their platforms and enforce their terms and conditions consistently and transparently.The Bill also places new requirements on tech companies in relation to anonymity online. It requires companies to identify, mitigate and effectively manage the risk of online anonymous abuse. Ofcom will set out the steps that companies must take to address online abuse in codes of practice.If companies do not comply with their legal duties, they could face tough enforcement penalties of up to £18 million or ten percent of annual global qualifying turnover.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

House of Lords: Times of Sittings

Lord Storey: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what assessment they have made of the(1) safety, and (2) wellbeing, of (a) members, and (b) members of staff, particularly women, leaving the House of Lords late to travel home on occasions when it sits later than 10pm.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Parliament benefits from a significant layered security and policing presence, and is within the Government Secure Zone which also has a substantial policing footprint strengthened by additional protective and deterrent measures. Personal security advice is available for all Members and staff, and the Director of Security for Parliament is content to meet with any Members who wish to discuss specific concerns. In respect of staff of the Administration, their safety and wellbeing is important and a late night transport policy provides taxis home for those who are required to work beyond 10.40pm. The House Administration keeps issues of staff safety under constant review, engaging with work place equality networks and others to ensure staff concerns are heard.

Private Members' Bills

Lord Grocott: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how many Private Members’ Bills in each of the last five sessions were introduced in the House of Lords; and, for each session, how many of them received Royal Assent.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The figures for private members’ bills that started in the House of Lords are set out below. Figures are provided from the 2014–15 session, as the 2019 session lasted less than a month, up to and including the present session to date.Session2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–19 2019 2019–21 2021–22 to datePMBs introduced in the House of Lords34485174408630Lords-starting PMBs receiving Royal Assent2001000